Beyonce Just Released a Very Personal Short Film on Feminism, Body Image, and Life

We love that Beyoncé always seems game to share little snippets of her life (via Instagram, Tumblr, or through her own music videos), but this morning, the singer gave us perhaps the most intimate look since her HBO documentary, Beyoncé: Life Is But A Dream aired a couple of years ago. Set to a montage of music video clips from the Beyoncé visual album, a 12-minute short film now posted on her site features a very personal monologue touching on matters from body image and the trials of fame to feminism and her roles as a modern wife and mother. Entitled Yours and Mine, it's chock full of wisdom and perspective—and basically the Queen Bey version of Bartlett's Quotations

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The full video is above, but here, we break down some of the most poignant lines:

On fame:

"I sometimes wish I could be anonymous walking down the street like everyone else," she says as the video begins. "Now that I'm famous it's really, really difficult to do very simple things...When you're famous, no one looks at you like a human being. You become property of the public. There's nothing real about it."

On where she came from:

"You can't put your finger on who I am. I can't put my finger on who I am. I am complicated. I grew up with a lot of conflict and dramas and I've been through a lot, just like everyone else."

On what it taught her:

"I was brought up seeing my mother trying to please and make everyone comfortable. I always felt like it was my job to fix the problem. People-pleaser. But I'm no longer afraid of conflict, and I don't think conflict is a bad thing. Because I know that when you grow up, when you learn a few things, you're no longer afraid of letting go. You're no longer afraid of the unknown. You're no longer afraid of going certain places in your body or mind that might make you feel uncomfortable. It all starts when you can look in the mirror and say, 'I like this person,' you know?"

On her body:

"I feel like my body is borrowed, and this life is very temporary. I watched my friend's body deteriorate, and to see someone pass on so gracefully put everything into perspective. We do not value ourselves enough—especially young people do not appreciate how brilliant our bodies are. I've always been very specific and very choosy—very choosy—about what I do with my body and who I want to share that with."

On feminism...:

"People feel like they lose something when they get married, but it doesn't have to be that way. There's nothing more exciting about having a witness to your life. I always considered myself a feminist, although I was always afraid of that word, because people put so much on it, when honestly, it's very simple: It's just someone who believes in equality for men and women. Men and women balance each other out, and we have to get to a point where we are comfortable with appreciating each other."

...and humanism:

"I have a lot of empathy for men and the pressures that they go through and the cultures that have been created, especially for African American men. I have the same empathy for women and the pressures we go through—the woman has to provide so many things for their children. I consider myself a humanist."

On marriage:

"You know, everyone's not good at everything. You know? It's okay to depend on someone. It's actually what we're supposed to do—we're supposed to depend on each other. And when you find the person that you trust and you love and you feel is going to respect you and take all the shit that you have and turn it around and bring out the best in you, it feeds you. It is the most powerful thing you can ever feel in your life."

And why it's all worth it:

"Happiness comes from you. No one else can make you happy. You make you happy. And one thing that's for sure: The love I have for the music, my husband, for my child—it's something that will last far beyond my life."

It's not just a portrait of her life—it's kind of like the ultimate pep talk, no? (We plan on referring back to this on days when we feel less than ***flawless.) And more than anything, we always have to applaud such an accurate description of what it means to be a feminist—though Beyoncé has never seemed to have a problem demonstrating that she knows just exactly what that term means.